In the back and forth battle of recruiting between the Bobcats and the Grizzlies, Montana landed a huge blow in the in-state battle on Thursday morning to cap a torrid past month for both sides.
Montana State earned verbal commitments from Aaron Howard, a 3-star defensive back from Los Angeles, as well as from in-state standout athletes Mark Estes and Kaleb Winterburn in the last week. Montana countered with perhaps the biggest commitment of the recruiting season with National Signing Day still more than seven months away.
On Thursday morning, Billings Senior stud Gabe Sulser gave his verbal commitment to Griz head coach Bob Stitt. Sulser, a Class AA first-team All-State as a wide receiver and cornerback in leading the Broncs to their first state title in 37 years last fall, is widely considered the prize in-state recruit for the Class of 2018.
“I’m extremely excited to announce that I have committed to the University fo Montana to play football for the Griz! #UpWithMontana,” Sulser wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.
Montana secondary coach Shann Schillinger/ by Brooks Nuanez
Shann Schillinger, Montana’s secondary coach and a former NFL safety after an All-American career with the Griz, served as Sulser’s primary recruiter. The Baker native is UM’s primary recruiter in the eastern part of the state. Soon after Sulser’s commitment, Schillinger tweeted:
“Big news out of the Magic City today! Best decision I ever made as choosing to be a Griz, love seeing kids making the same great decision!”
Schillinger and Montana wide receivers coach Mike Ferriter were a part of a Griz run that saw UM win seven consecutive Big Sky Conference titles under former head coach Bobby Hauck. Ferriter, a Helena High product who was an All-Big Sky wide receiver for UM, also had a hand in recruiting Sulser. Thursday morning, Ferriter tweeted:
“What a day to be a Griz! One of the greatest from the Treasure State is coming to Missoula!,” with a GIF of the Macho Man Randy Savage and Mean Gene Okerlund of pro wrestling fame.
Sulser is widely considered the top prospect in the state of Montana. He chose the Grizzlies over offers from Montana State, Idaho, North Dakota State and Hawaii. He also held preferred walk-on offers from Washington and Colorado at the time of his commitment. He said UM, NDSU, MSU and Washington were his top choices. National Signing Day is the first Wednesday of February each year.
“To be honest, there’s no real reason why for today except I thought it was time to pull the trigger on Montana,” Sulser told Skyline Sports on Thursday afternoon. “It’s always a place I’ve really liked and really felt comfortable with. It just felt right. I though I would put an end to this recruiting stuff. I thought it would be good to put it aside and focus on this senior season.
UM head coach Bob Stitt/ by Jason Bacaj
The explosive, lightning-fast wide receiver and slot back is also dangerous in the return games. Last fall, the 5-foot-9, 175-pounder caught 81 passes for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns while also scoring seven rushing touchdowns and returning three more for scores. Sulser’s sister, Morgan Sulser, is a standout hurdler for the UM track team. Gabe also thrives on the track. He won the Class AA title in the 110-hurdles as a sophomore and placed third in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles at last spring’s Class AA meet.
Mark Sulser was a star at Glasgow before playing football for Montana in the 1980s. He also served as Billings Senior’s head football coach for 14 seasons, stepping down in 2012.
“It’s a relief and I enjoyed the recruiting process,” Sulser said. “All the schools made me feel wanted and treated me right so it was a tough decision. But I couldn’t be more confident in the decision I made. I’m ready to be a Griz.”
Montana State currently has six players verbally committed for the Class of 2018: Howard, Estes, Winterburn, Missoula Loyola lineman Joe McElroy, Billings senior linebacker Noah Askelson and Robbinsdale, Minnesota defensive back Onte Burns.
Sulser is the fifth verbal commitment for Montana, joining in-state products athlete Garrett Graves (Eureka), wide receiver Nick Germer (Missoula Sentinel) and tight end Colten Curry along with JSerra High (California) quarterback Matthew Robinson.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or attributed. All Rights Reserved. Updated 03:25 7/13/2017
